Comments on: Withholding information http://www.medrants.com/archives/1302 Internal medicine, American health care, and especially medical education Sat, 11 Feb 2012 15:15:48 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3.1 By: Lisa Williams http://www.medrants.com/archives/1302/comment-page-1#comment-1889 Lisa Williams Tue, 08 Jul 2003 22:42:44 +0000 http://medrants.com/archives/2003/07/08/withholding-information/#comment-1889 I've often thought about that moment that comes in an office visit, where I can see the wheels turning inside my doctor's head, but he or she is not yet talking. I try to imagine the internal dialogue that they are having. My supposition has always been: 1. They are trying unsuccessfully to translate from Physician to English. 2. They are trying to make something sound less sinister, frightening, or offensive. 3. They are trying to remember what practice and or insurance rules bear on the situation. Now, when I see a new doctor, I always just tell them that I often see a doctor thinking, and what I imagine in my head is a lot more scary than what they are actually going to tell me, so they might as well just say it. This is usually met with an open-mouthed stare, as doctors are apparently completely unaware that we can see the smoke coming out of their ears as they try to figure out what to say. I’ve often thought about that moment that comes in an office visit, where I can see the wheels turning inside my doctor’s head, but he or she is not yet talking. I try to imagine the internal dialogue that they are having. My supposition has always been:

1. They are trying unsuccessfully to translate from Physician to English.
2. They are trying to make something sound less sinister, frightening, or offensive.
3. They are trying to remember what practice and or insurance rules bear on the situation.

Now, when I see a new doctor, I always just tell them that I often see a doctor thinking, and what I imagine in my head is a lot more scary than what they are actually going to tell me, so they might as well just say it. This is usually met with an open-mouthed stare, as doctors are apparently completely unaware that we can see the smoke coming out of their ears as they try to figure out what to say.

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